Memories of Christmas Past
by LoisAndClarkSuperfan
Summary: A little Christmas story in celebration of the holiday season. This is a sequel to my other Dobie Gillis stories, but also has reference to the Dobie Christmas episode "Jangle Bells." Merry Christmas!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Would you hurry," Zelda yelled up the stairs to her husband, who was frantically wrapping presents. "They'll be here any minute." She walked over to the tree, an eight-foot tall spruce and fidgeted with the branches trying to hide a bare spot. Every year she considered buying one of the fancy pop-up, pre-lit trees everyone raved about, but in the end, she liked having a real tree and could never bring herself to do it. "Dobie!" she yelled again. "They are going to be here any second!"

"I'm coming…" Dobie bounded down the stairs, his arms full of presents for his children and grandchildren. They were celebrating the holiday on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day this year. George's wife Chatsy wanted to spend Christmas Day with her mother after the unexpected loss of her father in October. Chatsworth had kept his illness a secret, even from his own daughter, and so his death was a shock. Gwen and Jack were planning to spend Christmas Day home alone together in the apartment above the former Gillis Grocery Store that was now their law firm. It was baby Gil's first Christmas and they wanted to make their own family traditions. Dobie and Zelda tried not to be disappointed. After all, their kids were grown and had their own families to worry about and at least they had dedicated Christmas Eve to their parents.

Zelda grabbed some of the presents from her husband and began to arrange them under the tree, "If I didn't know better I'd confuse you with Santa Claus," she teased. "Did you buy out the whole store?" Placing the presents neatly under the tree she smiled, "The kids will be happy."

Dobie put his arm around her and kissed her on the cheek, "We haven't spent a Christmas together in a while. I'm looking forward to it."

"What are you talking about?" Zelda looked confused. "We see the kids every Christmas."

"Not us and the kids," Dobie smiled. "Us…me and you. You know, since the divorce."

Zelda shook her head, "Dobie, we've spent every single holiday since the divorce together. Maybe we weren't speaking every time…," she teased, "but we were in the same room."

Dobie laughed, "You know that isn't the same thing." He took her hand and led her over to the doorway. "I mean _together_…" He looked up where the green mistletoe hung from the doorframe and winked at her. Then he kissed her gently on the lips."

Zelda smiled as she pulled away from the kiss. "Yes, together is nice, isn't it?" She leaned her head into his chest and closed her eyes.

Suddenly the front door burst open, cold wind blowing through the room, "Merry Christmas!" Gracie's voice broke the silence in the room and her grandparents looked at her with a grin as the rest of the family made their way into the living room, piling coats on the sofa and then carrying gifts to the tree. "We're gonna have so much fun!" Gracie said joyously as she hugged her grandparents with excitement. "Aren't we gonna have fun?"

"Of course we are," Dobie nodded and smiled at his youngest granddaughter. "And you Little Princess are standing under the mistletoe," he teased as he bent down and kissed her on the nose.

The little girl giggled, "I love you grandpa." Then she skipped into the other room.

Dobie laughed and gave his wife one more quick kiss, "Let's go have fun," he said, mimicking his young granddaughter, as they walked hand-in-hand to join the rest of the family.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You know the tradition," George Gillis said with a smile. "You can't open a present until you tell a story from Christmas-Past." He was sitting by the tree wearing the red Santa hat he'd had since the fifth grade. He could barely remember how the tradition had started, but for almost as long as he could remember they had spent Christmas reminiscing, thinking about those who were no longer with them, keeping the old family stories alive for the next generation. He realized he hadn't really appreciated it as much in past years as he did right now. When his wife's father had passed away a couple of months before, he suddenly realized that his own parents weren't going to be there forever. It scared him, and he wanted to cherish every moment with them. He wanted to hear the same old stories over and over until they were burned in his mind so he could share them with his own children someday. He owed them that…all of them. "Who wants to go first?"

"ME!" Gracie jumped up. "I have a good story."

George smiled at his daughter. "I think you just want a present," he winked. "But go ahead. Tell us your favorite Christmas memory."

"I remember when Aunt Gwen bought me my teddy bear. It was so fuzzy and cute and I just loved it," Gracie said quickly. "I still sleep with him every night even though _some_ people say I'm too old," she glared at her teenaged sister.

"You don't remember that," Greta said with a snicker. "You were six months old."

"I do too," Gracie insisted. "Aunt Gwen brought it all the way from California. She saw it at a little shop when she was on her way to court and she knew she had to get it for me because she hadn't even met me yet and she wanted the perfect present. So she ran inside to get it, and was late for court, and the judge was mad at her, but it was all worth it when she met me, and gave me the teddy and I put his nose in my mouth because that was how I gave kisses and she knew I loved him."

"You know, I'm convinced. I think you _do_ remember," Gwen reached over and hugged her niece close. "I loved that Christmas because it was the first one with _you_."

"She just remembers hearing the story a million times," Greta said with her typical cynicism. "She doesn't remember that Christmas at all. I barely remember it and I was in first grade."

"I think it counts," Dobie said seriously. "That's why we take turns telling our favorite Christmas stories, so they can become a part of everyone's memory."

"So can I have a present now?" Gracie asked impatiently.

"Okay," George laughed and handed his daughter a box wrapped in glittery gold paper.

Gracie took the box and smiled, "It's from Mommy," she said and Chatsy smiled gently at her daughter. Gracie pulled off the paper and looked at the box. She pulled out a pink sweater with pearly heart-shaped buttons and smiled, "It's so pretty." She hugged her mother and then ran her fingers along the edges of the buttons, "I want to wear it tomorrow…to Grandma Rochelle's."

"I think she'd love to see you in that," Chatsy agreed. She looked at the rest of the family, "So…who's next? Who has a great Christmas memory to share?"

"Fine…I'll go," Greta said with a sigh. It was obvious she wanted to open a present but didn't want to appear too eager and ruin her reputation as the family cynic. "I guess last year was good. At least both my grandpas were here…" she felt a few tears sting her eyes and then turned her head to look out the window, hoping no one would notice.

"Oh sweetie," Chatsy said tearfully. "I miss him too. No one could throw a Christmas party like Chatsworth Osborne Jr." she forced a slight chuckle. "And maybe he was a little stingy with his money at times, but never with us. He loved his family more than anything." She reached over and grabbed her daughter's hand, squeezing it tight. "Greta…I know you miss him."

Greta wiped a stray tear from her eye, "Can I just open a present now?" she asked, her voice quivering.

George shook his head, "I don't think so," he said softly. "Why don't you tell us your favorite Christmas memory with him?" he probed, trying to get her to talk. Since Chatsworth had passed away, Greta had kept most of her feelings inside. Her parents had been worried about her and this was the first hint of emotion she had shown in months. Maybe it was just what she needed.

Greta looked at her father, her dark brown eyes blurred with tears. "I don't want to," she sniffled. Then she stood up and ran upstairs.

Chatsy stood up, handing her baby son to her husband, "I better go check on her," she sighed.

"No…I'll go," Zelda stood up from where she was sitting on the sofa and gave a comforting hug to her daughter-in-law. "She's hurting, and she knows you are too. She just needs a good cry."

"Thanks," Chatsy began to sob. "I'm sorry. I don't want to ruin everyone's Christmas with all this sadness."

"You are not ruining anything," Zelda hugged her again. "Honey, it's always hard to celebrate when someone you love is gone. We all know that." Chatsy sat down, taking the baby back from her husband and instinctively smiling when he started staring at the sparkling tree lights and giggling. At least her children could bring her some joy this holiday. Zelda picked up a flat, square box from under the tree. "I'm going to take Greta a present. The rest of you keep going with the stories." Then she walked slowly upstairs to face her tearful granddaughter.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

From the top of the stairs, Zelda could hear her granddaughter crying. She found her curled up on the blue floral bedspread, tears streaming down her face. Zelda sat next to her and put her hand gently on her back, rubbing gently, "It's okay honey," she whispered. "It's okay to miss him."

Greta sniffled and turned her head toward her grandmother. Her dark eyes were rimmed with red from crying and her face was wet with tears. "I don't want to share a memory of him," she said bitterly. "Why does Daddy always try to make me to talk about stuff? He doesn't understand that I can't…I just can't," she started to cry again, this time sitting up and letting her head rest on her grandmother's shoulder.

Zelda stroked her granddaughter's soft brown hair, "Your dad wants you to be alright," she assured her. "He thought it might make you feel better to talk about your Grandpa Chatsworth…to remember him, but if you don't want to, that's okay. I know it hurts." She kissed the top of her head and held her closer. "You know, I miss him too. Not the way you, or Gracie, or your mom do of course, but I _do_ miss him. I knew your grandpa Chatsworth pretty much my whole life."

"You miss him too?" Greta asked sadly.

"Of course I do…your Grandpa does too," Zelda assured her. "We were all friends you know. Sure, we had our differences, but we all genuinely liked each other. It's hard to say good-bye to someone who has been there practically your whole life," she hugged her granddaughter again. She could feel Greta starting to relax in her arms and she gave a grateful smile, "I know you don't want to share a Christmas memory of him, but would it be okay if I told you my favorite Christmas memory of your Grandpa Chatsworth?"

Greta looked at her with surprise, "You have a favorite Christmas memory of Grandpa Chatsworth?" she asked.

"Of course," Zelda smiled. Greta stared intently while Zelda started the story.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"It was Christmas, obviously," Zelda began. "I was a senior in high school. We were reading _A Christmas Carol _in English class. I'd read it practically every year since I was ten, but our teacher asked us to act out different parts, and so that made it a little different, more fun."

"_A Christmas Carol_?" Greta asked. "That story is so overdone."

"Well there wasn't much else to choose from," Zelda teased. "Besides, it was a classic."

"Okay, go on…" Greta's voice had stopped quivering and Zelda was relieved. She could tell her granddaughter was calming down.

"So, your Grandpa Dobie and I were playing two of the ghosts in the story," Zelda continued. "And your Grandpa Chatsworth was playing Ebenezer Scrooge. He insisted on playing Scrooge because he said no one else had enough money to realistically pull-off the part."

Greta laughed, genuinely for the first time all day. "That sounds like Grandpa."

Zelda smiled, "Anyway, the play went off without a hitch and everyone in class seemed to enjoy it. I think our teacher was a little disappointed that Chatsworth brought real gold into class to use in the play because it was distracting to everyone else," she and Greta both laughed, "But otherwise it was a fun day at school and when it was over, we were all excited to start Christmas Break."

"I have a hard time picturing my grandparents all excited about Christmas Break," Greta said with a smile.

"Well, you know how excited you get about it?" Zelda asked and Greta nodded. "It was pretty much like that. Anyway, your Grandpa Chatsworth decided to have a Christmas party at his house. He invited everyone at school and I wanted to go so badly."

"Really?" Greta asked, almost in disbelief.

"I wanted your Grandpa Dobie to take me," Zelda smiled. "I was kind of worried about him back then. He never really studied very hard, his grades weren't very good…I was convinced he was going to be a bum after high school if he didn't meet some influential people who could help him get into college or the business world or something."

"You were seventeen," Greta's eyes widened. "Why did you even care?"

"I was a little too eager to grow up and get married," Zelda admitted. "But anyway…I convinced your grandpa to take me to the party and I was so excited, but then his friend Maynard decided to throw a party on Christmas Eve too. I knew that your Grandpa Dobie would never abandon Maynard to go to a party at the Osborne mansion, and I was furious. I told him he had to take me to Chatsworth's party; that he'd grow up to be a nobody if he didn't…"

"That wasn't very nice," Greta sighed.

"I know," Zelda admitted. "But I was sort of desperate back then. I'm ashamed of it now, but all I cared about was getting your grandpa to marry me."

"Grandma…if I acted like that you'd throw a fit," Greta insisted.

"Yes I would," Zelda agreed. "No girl should ever act the way I did back then. I admit that."

"Okay…so what happened with the party?" Greta asked.

"Well, your Grandpa Dobie decided to go ahead and take me to the party your Grandpa Chatsworth was throwing. I was just mesmerized by that party…all the decorations, and the food, the people in their dark suits and shimmering dresses. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. I felt like a princess. I was so happy."

Greta smiled, "Yeah, the mansion kind of makes you feel that way, doesn't it?"

Zelda nodded, "But…all night your Grandpa Dobie was distracted. I knew he was thinking about poor Maynard all alone on Christmas. I felt so bad for making him abandon his best friend on Christmas Eve. Finally, he told me he was leaving. He didn't want Maynard to be alone. He thought I'd be upset, but I wasn't. I knew it was the right thing to do. So I told him I'd go with him to Maynard's party and then he gave me the best Christmas gift I could ever have imagined."

"What?" Greta asked, intrigued. "What did he give you?"

"He told me he loved me," a smiled spread across her face. "For the first time…right there in front of all those people. I'd never been as happy as I was right then at that moment," Zelda chuckled. "I must have run around the ballroom ten times just squealing with delight."

Greta laughed, "Grandma…really?"

"Really," Zelda admitted. "And then we drove over to Maynard's garage and he was all alone. I was so glad we went to spend Christmas Eve with him. He needed us."

"That's a nice story, Grandma," Greta hugged her. "But I thought it was about Grandpa Chatsworth…a memory of him?"

"Oh it is," Zelda insisted. "You see, after we'd been at Maynard's a while…we started to hear Christmas carols outside. So, we opened the door, and there was your Grandpa Chatsworth…with all the food and presents and guests from his own party. He'd brought them all down from the mansion to celebrate Christmas in Maynard's garage. He'd felt terrible about poor Maynard being all alone too, and he had more power than any of us to change that."

"He did that?" Greta asked.

Zelda nodded, "Yes, he did. You see, sometimes he acted like money was everything to him, but your Grandpa Chatsworth had a good heart and he cared about people. That's what I remember about him. How much he loved you, Gracie, baby Dobie, and your mom…but also how he knew in his heart that he was blessed to have as much as he had, and when it came down to it, he would do what he could to bless others as well."

Greta let a tear fall down her cheek, "I'm glad he didn't let Maynard spend Christmas alone."

Zelda pulled her granddaughter closer to her, "Me too."

Greta wiped away another tear, "Why didn't he tell us he was dying?" she asked sadly. "I didn't even get to say good-bye."

Zelda brushed away a few of her own tears, "He didn't want you to remember him being sick. He didn't want your last memories of him to be sad ones. I think he just wanted you to remember how much he loved you and he felt like he was protecting you by not telling you. Maybe he was wrong about that, but he was doing what he thought was best for you…I know that."

"I'm going to miss him, forever…" Greta admitted sadly. "I wish people didn't have to die."

"I know baby," Zelda sighed. "I know…"

"I think I'm ready to go back downstairs," Greta cleared her throat. "Grandpa would want us all to enjoy Christmas."

"Yes, he would," Zelda agreed. "But first, open your present." She handed Greta the box she'd brought upstairs with her.

Greta looked at the flat box, wrapped in green paper. "It's from you," she smiled. Then she pulled off the paper and stared at a framed back and white photo. She smiled, "What is this?"

"It's a photograph, from that Christmas play," she pointed to the people. "Me, and your Grandpa Dobie, and of course your Grandpa Chatsworth as Scrooge." She laughed. "I've had this for years, but I thought you might want it, so I put it in a frame for you."

Greta reached out and hugged her grandmother, "I love it. Thanks."

"Now…let's get downstairs," Zelda insisted. "There are more presents to open."

Greta nodded and took her grandmother's hand as they walked toward the stairs, "I love you Grandma," she whispered.

"I love you too baby," Zelda squeezed her hand. "Merry Christmas."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"That was not our best Christmas," George argued with his older sister. "It was the year we got the computer. I'll never forget that." Greta laughed watching her father argue with his sister over their Christmas memories. She'd been in a much happier mood since her grandmother had brought her back downstairs. She showed everyone the picture of her grandparents in the Christmas play and told them the story her grandmother had shared with her upstairs. It was one of her favorite Christmas stories now as well.

"No…the computer wasn't the best Georgie," Gwen argued. "I was already in college when Mom and Dad bought that computer. I didn't even get to use it much. The best Christmas was the very last one where Grandpa Gillis played Santa Claus. I was nine and already knew who it was, but you didn't and when he asked you if you'd been a good boy you cried and cried because you knew you didn't deserve any presents and so he had to take off his beard just to calm you down. Remember that?"

"I did not," George sighed. "Besides, I always deserved presents."

"You did too," Gwen argued. "Mom, tell him I'm right," Gwen looked over to where her mother was sitting and rocking baby Dobie to sleep.

Zelda sighed, "I don't know for sure," she said, trying to keep the peace. "It was a long time ago."

"Dad," George stared at his father who was bouncing baby Gil on his knee. "Would you please tell Gwendolyn that _never_ happened?"

"I'm staying out of this one," Dobie laughed.

"Daddy…were you really _so _bad that you thought you wouldn't get presents?" Gracie asked with a laugh.

"I was a good kid," George insisted. "I swear. I was crying because I had a mean older sister." He gave a sneer towards his sister who snickered back at him jokingly.

"Of course you were a good kid," Chatsy kissed him on the cheek. "That's why I fell in love with you way back in kindergarten."

"He was a good boy," Zelda smiled at her son. "A little rambunctious, a little bit of a trouble-maker at times, but he always had a good heart." She looked down at her grandson who was falling asleep. "I think this little guy is going to be a lot like his daddy." She kissed her grandson and ran her fingers along his curly red hair. "He reminds me of you already, Georgie."

"Well I still think the year we got the computer was the best," George sighed. "I played video games on that thing all the time."

"It was supposed to be for homework," Dobie added with a laugh. "Something I don't think you were very familiar with back then."

"Why is everybody picking on me?" George asked with a grin that let them know he wasn't really angry. "What about Princess Gwendolyn over there? She wasn't Miss Perfect either you know."

"What kind of mischief did Gwen get into when she was a kid?" Jack asked curiously.

"Well, not much," George admitted. "But she was the one who told me my grandpa was Santa. That's why I was crying that day."

"Gwendolyn?" Zelda asked shocked. "You didn't?"

"I guess I kind of forgot that part," Gwen replied.

"Yeah, I was only six. I was so excited to see Santa and then Gwen whispered in my ear 'You know that's just Grandpa wearing a fake beard.' I cried because I couldn't believe everyone had been lying to me for so long," George said seriously. Then he smiled, "Well, and maybe I was crying because I knew Grandpa Gillis had seen me all year and knew I hadn't been very good. I think it's possible that I thought I might not get any presents." He laughed.

"I'm sorry I told you," Gwen walked over and hugged her brother. "I shouldn't have. I guess I wasn't a perfect kid either."

"There is no such thing as a perfect kid," Dobie said sincerely. "But you two came pretty close."

"Definitely," Zelda agreed. She looked at her two grown children and she was immensely proud of the adults they had become, even if sometimes she did long for the days when they were little and needed her all the time. "And I think you're both wrong about your best Christmases…"

"Don't say it was the year Daddy bought you the ugly green appliances," Gwen laughed. "Please don't say that!"

Zelda laughed, "No…but I did love those! I don't know why you keep saying it was such a bad gift." She smiled. "Gwen, before this year, which I know is your most special because of Jack and Gil, I think your favorite Christmas was the year you became a big sister. You were three years old and I was hugely pregnant with Georgie. All December long you said you wanted a baby brother for Christmas."

"That was the first year your Grandpa Gillis dressed up like Santa," Dobie grinned. "He wanted so badly to make you believe he was Santa. He practiced his Santa laugh for over a week. It was amazing to see him like that…so in love with his little granddaughter, wanting to do anything to make her happy. It made my heart melt to see him act like that."

Zelda nodded, "He certainly loved being a Grandpa." She looked at her daughter, "So, Christmas Eve he came over to the house, all dressed up, and you were so excited to see him. You really thought he was Santa. He picked you up and sat you in his lap…and do you know what you asked him for? You asked him to let your baby brother be born on Christmas Day."

"Well Georgie wasn't born on Christmas. He was born the day after, so Santa didn't give me my wish," Gwen said with a grin. "Was I disappointed?"

Zelda laughed, "Oh, no…because your Grandpa told you he would make sure you had a new baby brother for Christmas and then spent that whole night and most of the next morning pestering me to have the baby. _'Zelda, she really wants a baby brother on Christmas. You have to have that baby today…and it better be a boy.'_ He was driving me crazy."

"Oh no," Gwen laughed. "What did you do?"

Dobie laughed, "She didn't do anything. You got a new baby doll for Christmas and were so excited to play with it you forgot all about asking for the real baby to be born."

"And your grandpa was so relieved that he didn't try to force me into labor anymore, so we just enjoyed the rest of the holiday," Zelda laughed.

"Enjoyed it until your mother actually went into labor, right around noon when she was helping my mother prepare Christmas dinner" Dobie laughed. "She tried to ignore the signs for a while, not wanting to miss Christmas Day with you, but by dinnertime it was obvious she couldn't ignore what was happening, and then we left you with your grandparents and went to the hospital and Georgie was born the following morning…on the 26th."

"Thank goodness he was a boy," Zelda chuckled. "Or your Grandpa Gillis never would've forgiven me. After all, Santa promised you a _brother_."

"I thought you said he was named after George McGovern?" Jack asked, remembering when baby Gil was born and the family had been discussing baby names. "I assumed he was born around election time."

"Oh no…" Zelda explained. "Georgie was born the year before the election, when the nation was still hearing from all candidates. Dobie had just already decided on McGovern," she laughed.

"Well, maybe I was wrong about the candidate, but not about our son's name," Dobie argued. "George Herbert Gillis was a perfect name for him and you know that as well as I do."

Zelda nodded, "Yes…and your dad was so excited about his middle name being Herbert. He was more excited about his grandson than Gwen was to become a big sister that day."

Gwen laughed, "Okay…becoming a sister the day after Christmas was a pretty special present. Obviously Georgie was my present _and_ Grandpa's." She glanced at her brother and winked. "I always liked being a big sister."

"You've always been a great big sister," George said seriously. "Except maybe for the time you told me Grandpa was Santa Claus." Everyone laughed. "But…I like think I was everyone's present that year."

"I don't know if your mom would agree with that," Dobie teased. "She was pretty miserable that Christmas."

"Well thanks a lot," George added.

"Not miserable," Zelda disagreed. "Just uncomfortable…well, pretty much in agony. But it was well worth it. I swear. Of course Georgie was my favorite present…even if he officially arrived the next day."

"Thanks Mom," George hugged his mother. "And I'm sorry you had to be in labor on Christmas."

"Blame your sister," Zelda teased. "She's the one who asked Santa for you to come that day."

"So Grandma," Greta asked. "Which Christmas do you think was Daddy's best one?"

"Well that is pretty simple," Zelda nodded. "I think it was sixteen years ago…your first Christmas."

"Really?" Greta asked.

"I had never seen him as happy as he was that Christmas," Zelda insisted. "You had more presents than any baby on the planet."

George laughed, "I did go a little overboard," he agreed. "But I was so excited about being a Dad…about my baby girl's first Christmas."

"I had to keep reminding him that you wouldn't even remember anything from that Christmas," Chatsy added. "But he didn't care. He said he would remember it and that was why it had to be so special." She smiled, "You know, I think that was the first year my father accepted that I had married into the Gillis family too. He was so proud to have a granddaughter that he figured he better accept her father or he'd never get to see her. We spent Christmas Eve at the mansion that year, for the first time since we'd been married."

Greta hugged her father, "Thanks for giving me an amazing first Christmas."

He hugged her tighter, unable to remember the last time his stubborn daughter had hugged him willingly. "It was most certainly the best Christmas I can remember," he kissed her.

"I think it was my favorite too," Chatsy agreed with a smile.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After the presents were opened, dinner had been served and cleaned up, and everyone had said their good-byes, Dobie and Zelda sat alone on the sofa, staring at the beautiful Christmas tree. They had enjoyed their time with their children and grandchildren, but a peaceful night at home alone together was nice too.

"We have an amazing family," Dobie said gently. "We're lucky."

Zelda nodded in agreement and then let her head rest on his shoulder, "I already miss them and they've only been gone an hour." She sighed. "I know they need their own holiday traditions, but I'm going to miss seeing them tomorrow."

"It'll be okay," Dobie assured her. "We can sleep in, maybe watch some Christmas specials on television, call the grandkids to tell them Merry Christmas…and then we'll see everyone the next day for Georgie's birthday dinner anyway."

"I know," Zelda agreed. "But it's not the same."

"You know Gwen and Jack want little Gil's first Christmas to themselves," Dobie reminded her. "Remember when Gwen was a little baby…her first Christmas…and we were bombarded by my parents the whole day. You wanted a break from them."

Zelda smiled, "Not really a break, just some time to ourselves. Your mom kept hogging the baby. I swear I didn't get to hold my own daughter for more than ten minutes that whole day." She laughed. "I guess I see your point."

"And Georgie, Chatsy, and the kids…they need to be there for Rochelle," Dobie added. "You know this Christmas will be hard for her. Up there all alone in the Osborne Mansion without Chatsworth…"

"I can't even imagine," Zelda let a tear slide down her cheek. "Dobie…I don't ever want to spend Christmas without you." She put her arms around him and cried.

"Hey…what is this about?" Dobie asked sadly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Zelda looked up at him, her eyes moist with tears. "I don't know…I guess I've been thinking about it a lot lately. A lot of our friends are gone, Dobie. It's inevitable…"

"Honey, Chatsworth had cancer," he reminded her. "That can happen to anyone. But you and I are both healthy…we're going to be together a long time."

Zelda sniffled and wiped away a tear, "I know…It's just hard thinking about it."

"Then don't think about it," Dobie held her close. "All we can do is live our lives to the fullest, right now and everyday. Enjoy one another, enjoy our kids and our grandkids…that's the important thing."

"You're right," Zelda smiled. "Of course you're right. I'm sorry…"

Dobie kissed her softly. "No reason to be sorry." He smiled and kissed her again, but their kiss was interrupted by the telephone. "Of course," he said with a laugh. "I wonder who that could be?"

Zelda leaned over and picked up the receiver. Dobie could hear the excitement in her voice as she spoke and when she hung up the phone she turned to him, "That was Gwen," she said with a grin.

"What'd she want?" Dobie asked with curiosity. Whatever it was had definitely changed his wife's gloomy mood to one of pure joy. "What are you so happy about?"

"Gwen and Jack want to know if we will come to their apartment tomorrow to watch baby Gil open his Christmas presents," Zelda said, nearly squealing with delight.

"Really?" Dobie asked. "I thought they wanted to be alone."

"She said on the way home, they started thinking about all the Christmas stories everyone told tonight, and how important her grandparents were in all the old stories," Zelda explained. "She said that they think Gil should have his grandparents in his Christmas memories too."

"Well, okay then," Dobie said, still a little unsure. "I just don't want to be in the way."

"That is the best part," Zelda beamed. "You can't be in the way. They need you. Gwendolyn asked if you would play Santa Claus for the baby!"

"What?" Dobie laughed. "You've got to be kidding."

Zelda shook her head, "Nope…she said that her memories of your dad as Santa are some of her favorites, and she wants Gil to remember his grandpa doing the same for him. Please Dobie?" she pleaded. "You'd make a charming Santa."

"I've never been Santa before," Dobie said with uncertainty.

"That's because the Osbornes always hired someone to play Santa for the girls when they were little," Zelda reminded him. "But Gwen and Jack can't do that. Please?"

Dobie laughed, "Fine…I'll do it. But where am I going to get a Santa costume at this hour on Christmas Eve?"

"Gwen said she found your Dad's old Santa suit in the attic at the apartment when they were remodeling," Zelda explained. "She said it was in perfect condition. He had it packed away in an air-tight container and it is perfectly wearable."

"That thing is over forty years old," Dobie said in disbelief. "It's in perfect condition?"

"She said it is," Zelda insisted. "It wouldn't hurt to try it."

Dobie smiled, "Of course I'd love to be Santa Claus." He hugged his wife. "After all, it is a Gillis family tradition."

"We should get to bed," Zelda added. "We need to be at the apartment bright and early tomorrow."

Dobie put his arm around his wife as they walked toward the stairs, "You know…I don't think I've spent a Christmas Day in that apartment since I married you."

Zelda thought about it and agreed he was right. They had always hosted Christmas for his parents at their own house, and now she wondered if maybe they should have loaded up their kids and presents and gone to her inlaws' house for a Christmas or two when the kids were little. It probably would have made them happy to watch their grandchildren celebrate Christmas in the same rooms where their son had celebrated years before. She knew it made her happy when her family came home for Christmas. She wished she had known back then the things she knew now, but obviously wisdom comes with age, and now it was too late. "Maybe tomorrow you should share some of your favorite Christmas memories," she suggested. "From when you were a little boy."

"Maybe I will," Dobie smiled. Then he kissed his wife one more time and held her close as they walked up the stairs. "Merry Christmas," he whispered.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, "Merry Christmas, Dobie."


End file.
